If you are looking at starting H.E.M.A style sword fighting classes, there are a few things you should ask your self.
1) what do I want to learn?
If, it is to swing a heavy lump of metal, while clad only in a bear skin, this is probably not for you, European sword fighting, is quick, skilled and is more about fighting within a safe framework of body and weapon than throwing your sword madly around.
If it is a skill you wish to learn, then it is the art for you.
historical sword fighting, is a genuine martial art, and like all martial arts will teach you structure, timing & distance, the Liechtenauer style of sword fighting will also teach you fuhlen(feeling) a tactile sensitivity on the sword, similar to wing chun’s sticking hands, a vital technique when the sword-fight gets too quick to follow with the eye.
2)Will I get fit?
You will get as much out of the art as you put into it, most fightmedieval classes are geared towards a muscle mnemonic system, teaching you to recognize movement, intention, pressure and position in the sword fight and to react instinctively and correctly. this basically means you will spend a lot of the lesson in motion learning to hit someone with a sword and not get hit back:) how much more fun could you have:)
3)How do I know I’m getting my money’s worth?
The Boar’s Tooth Fightschool(fight medieval) have an immensely high standing in the sword fighting community, we have authored 2 critically acclaimed dvds, with many more to come, and have taught extensively across Europe, we are held in very high regard, for our martial and technical understanding of the European sword arts.
3)(partb)Is it real?
Most certainly, although most European styles of sword fighting, involving the long sword, sword and buckler, messer, died out, however, the manuals which explain their use are still available, most of these sword fighting manuals can be viewed, online, or at the worst, purchased, so you can tell the source material is genuine, the first of these sources, the Lutegerus” script for example can be seen here.
The rest has been good honest hard work, by translators and martial artists, in the latter case, bruising and battering each other senseless, in order to make sure that each system is self referential, and most importantly, works.
4)is it fun?
Ohhhhhh Yesssss!
If you have any more questions, regarding any aspect of medieval sword fighting, or fencing with the Boar’s Tooth/Fight Medieval team, please feel free to contact us, either by phone 0770 963 9881, or by email at boarstooth@hotmail.com
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